‘India does not have fathers,’ Kangana Ranaut ignites controversy on Gandhi’s birth anniversary
New Delhi: Actor and politician Kangana Ranaut has stirred up another controversy with a social media post about Mahatma Gandhi and former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. On Wednesday, Ranaut paid tribute to Shastri on his 120th birthday but seemed to downplay Gandhi’s importance as the Father of the Nation.
"Desh ke pita nahi, desh ke to lal hote hai. Dhanye hai Bharat ma ke ye lal ('The country does not have fathers; it has sons. Blessed are these sons of Mother India)" Ranaut wrote on her Instagram Stories.
In a follow-up post, she praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for continuing Gandhi’s work on cleanliness in India. This has led to criticism from Congress leader Supriya Shrinate, who called Ranaut's comments about Gandhi inappropriate.
"BJP MP Kangana made this lewd jibe on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary. Godse worshippers draw distinctions between Bapu and Shastri ji. Will Narendra Modi wholeheartedly forgive his party's new Godse devotee? There is the Father of the Nation, there are sons, and there are martyrs. Everyone deserves respect," Shrinate said in a post on X.
Manoranjan Kalia, a senior BJP leader from Punjab, also criticised Ranaut for her latest remarks.
"I condemn Kangana Ranaut's comments made on Gandhi ji's 155th birth anniversary. In her short political career, she has developed a habit of making controversial statements," Kalia said in a video posted on social media. "Politics is not her field. Politics is a serious affair. One must think before speaking... Her controversial remarks cause trouble for the party," he added.
Kangana, who is a BJP MP from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, faced backlash in March over her remarks about farmers' protests. Recently, she also faced criticism for suggesting the return of three farm laws that were repealed in 2021. During that time, she claimed the protests were creating a "Bangladesh-type situation" in India, claiming that "dead bodies were hanging, and rapes were taking place" at the protest sites.
Ranaut later retracted her statements, stating she needed to remember her responsibilities as a BJP member, not just as an artist. Senior BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia also spoke out against her recent comments.
Agency